Belgian Malinois: Size, Lifespan and Care Basics

The American Kennel Club (AKC) gives the Belgian Malinois a life expectancy of 14 to 16 years. The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) in the UK puts the breed in its “over 10 years” band.

Both figures describe the breed as a whole. They are ranges for typical dogs of the breed, not a forecast for any one dog.

The two clubs’ figures differ but do not conflict. The RKC’s band is a broad floor, while the AKC’s range for the Malinois sits well above it. That high upper estimate is also why the AAHA rule places the senior stage as late as 12 years.

Of the 30 breeds profiled on Pettify, 1 have a longer upper estimate than the Belgian Malinois and 24 a shorter one.

The RKC suggests grooming a Belgian Malinois more than once a week and describes the coat as medium; it lists the breed as one that sheds. On the AKC’s scales the breed rates 3 out of 5 for shedding and 2 out of 5 for how often the coat needs care.

The AKC classes the coat as short and smooth, a little shorter than the RKC’s description above. Either way it is waterproof and simple to look after. For most of the year, brush now and then with a medium-bristle brush, a rubber mitt or a hound glove. The Malinois goes through a shed twice a year, and while it lasts a slicker brush used daily clears the loose hair.

Coat is what sets the Malinois apart from its Belgian relatives: the RKC describes it as dense and short, where the Groenendael and the Tervuren grow long coats and the Laekenois a harsh, wiry one. The AKC’s colors are fawn through mahogany, with a black mask, and the RKC also lists red and gray shades, many with a black overlay.

The RKC puts the exercise a Belgian Malinois needs at more than 2 hours a day. The AKC rates the breed 4 out of 5 for energy and 4 out of 5 for mental stimulation needs.

Malinois excel, the AKC says, at agility, tracking, herding, obedience and the protection sport Schutzhund. Off the field, a Malinois is a ready companion for a run, a hike or a bike ride. What ties it together is company: the AKC rules out a life left in the backyard and wants the owner working alongside the dog.

Plan for the mind as much as the body. Obedience routines, tracking practice and structured games give a Malinois the focused effort its working background calls for, every day. Read the RKC’s daily figure as working time shared between you, not hours the dog spends on its own. For a young dog, herding and tracking events are an early taste of real work.

The AKC gives the adult weight of the Belgian Malinois as “60–80 pounds (male), 40–60 pounds (female)”, which is 27.2–36.3 kg for males and 18.1–27.2 kg for females. The height at the shoulder is 24–26 inches (male), 22–24 inches (female).

The breed’s roots in Belgium go back to the Middle Ages. In 1891 a breed club formed, and Professor Adolphe Reul examined 117 dogs to sort them into varieties, each named for the region it came from. The Malinois is the short-coated one, from around the city of Malines; its relatives are the Groenendael, the Tervuren and the Laekenois. The RKC keeps all four as varieties of one Belgian Shepherd Dog, while the AKC has registered the Malinois as its own breed since 1959.

Belgian shepherds and cattlemen relied on the breed because its early breeders cared about working character above looks. Its versatility and drive to work have since taken it into police and military service, and a life-size bronze of a Malinois stands at the military dog memorial in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In America the breed arrived in 1911, faded when the Second World War stopped imports from Europe, and was rebuilt from the early 1960s.

Away from work, the AKC’s ratings are more measured than the breed’s fame suggests. Affection with family, young children, other dogs and strangers all sit at 3 out of 5, the middle of the scale, and so does playfulness. Trainability reaches 5 out of 5. Confident, smart and hardworking in the AKC’s description, the Malinois forms a deep bond with its person and goes wrong when underused and ignored.

The RKC suggests a large house and a large garden, in town or country, and sees an alert, cautious and very bright dog that is keen to work. Adaptability is 3 out of 5, so this suits an owner who can make training and exercise part of every single day, ideally side by side.